Social media networks have started to take over the way people run their lives, from how they find friends or dates, to how people post their day to day activities as if it were a personal diary.
Nearly any information someone could ever hope to know can be located in seconds via devices that fit in the palm of one’s hand. Smartphones have transformed the way society functions. There are apps for just about everything. To edit photos, check a bank account, file taxes, translate languages, calculate scientific equations, and more.
It’s social media apps and networks that have taken the internet by storm. Like never before, people are able to stay constantly connected and updated with what’s going on around them with the click of a button.
Instagram tells a person’s story through photographs. Facebook focuses on keeping people connected to the daily lives of their friends and family, no matter the physical distance between them. Twitter’s fast-paced, 140-character snippets provide information in near-immediate, easily-digestible chunks. Not to mention Snapchat, YikYak, and more.
While college students are well-versed in how to use these various social media to connect with friends and document their lives, they are less likely to understand the growing importance of a social media presence for post-graduation job searches.
Carefully cultivating and growing one’s online presence is just as, if not more important than documenting the morning’s bagel or checking in at the local bar.
In this edition’s special coverage of social media, Wichitan reporters will examine how social media should be used by students about to enter the workforce. How to build a LinkedIn profile and expand a professional network, how employers use applicant’s social media presence to make hiring decisions, and what to do (and not to do) on social media.
Just as much as college graduates need a list of references and a well-crafted resume, they need a professional and noteworthy digital presence.
Check out the rest of the series:
Coordinator: ‘We try to be ahead of everything’
Digital presence can make, break job searches
Build a positive social media presence